Saturday, November 30, 2013

An exercise-loving mother-of-three claims she was blocked from Facebook after launching a tirade against a group of plus-size women who posed in lingerie to promote body confidence.

Maria Kang, 32, from California, wrote on the site last Friday that she was 'annoyed' by 'news stories about how overweight, nearly obese women should be proud of their bodies' - referring directly to a story by MailOnline highlighting a 'selfie' photo campaign launched by Curvy Girl Lingerie.

The post, which reportedly received thousands of 'Likes' from her 230,000 followers, was deemed a 'hate speech' by Facebook Ms Kang says, and she was locked out of her account as a result.

A UKIP councillor faces an investigation after asking children in care how it felt 'to be takers from the system'.

A dozen complaints have been lodged against Gordon Gillick who also demanded to know when the children would 'give back to society'.

The 74-year-old Cambridgeshire County Councillor left other councillors stunned with his remarks, but his wife insisted he was 'challenging them' like US President John F Kennedy with his famous 'Ask not what your country can do for you' speech.

Mr Gillick was among several councillors invited to a briefing on their responsibilities as 'corporate parents' to protect children from abuse.

Three youngsters had made a film about their experiences in foster homes, and were explaining it to the councillors when Mr Gillick interrupted.

He asked: 'How does it feel to be takers from the system?' He reportedly also asked the youngsters when they would 'start giving back to society' before walking out of the session.

Tory, Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors have all submitted complaints about the incident.

However, Mr Gillick has received the backing of UKIP, which is the third largest group on the authority.

Group leader Peter Reeve said: 'As long as he's being honest and transparent and saying what he believes, I've no problem with that.

'It may or may not be that I agree with him or that people find his views offensive, but I would rather a councillor is honest than cover up their beliefs because they are worried about it not being politically correct.'

His wife Victoria told MailOnline: 'He is very, very popular with young people. He has 15 teenage grandchildren.

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Renault has launched an advertising campaign promoting its new Koleos SUV. In the good-looking ad, against a catchy, cheesy sound track, a couple embark on a ‘glamping’ trip in their new SUV.

As they set up camp the woman pretties up the tent arranging flowers, while the man erects a satellite dish, then goes fishing. He returns victorious, and his partner transforms the catch into a dainty sushi platter, which she then proceeds to feed to him with chop sticks.

On the website Campaign Brief, viewer comments include “charming”, “cute” and “funny” but, oddly, no-one seems to have raised the issue of sexism. Thankfully, YouTube commenters are a little more forthcoming – “This is so sexist it made me feel physically ill,” writes a riled-up 'Bertie Page'.

The campaign’s slogan “Beautiful meets capable,” we’re told by advertisers, is their way of saying Aussie car buyers no longer need to sacrifice style for practicality.

That’s all very well, but why does the woman in the film have to represent all that is stylish and beautiful, while the male “tradie” character gets to be the hunter-gatherer-solver-of-problems-macho-man?

Democrats in New Hampshire wasted no time in attacking conservative and four term State Representative Marilinda Garcia when she announced she will run for election yesterday in the state's second congressional district.

Garcia was elected for the first time in 2006 at the age of 23 and already has an impressive resume of successes including serving as Majority Whip for the Committee on Legislative Administration and is on the advisory board for GOPAC, a group dedicated to supporting young Republican leaders. She currently serves on the Finance Committee and received a Master of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in 2010. She believes economic and social values are equally as important to each other when it comes to how they affect the nation and its health.

Despite her impressive background, immediately after her announcement Monday morning Democrat Peter Sullivan, a prominent New Hampshire State Representative, took to Twitter and compared Garcia to reality star Kim Kardashian (who has a sex tape) and talked about her "stiletto heels."

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Founder of Website critical of the French President arrested

On charges of "insulting the president", thirty policemen arrested the founder of the French website "http://hollande-démission.fr/" last week and impounded his car according to a translation from Les Observateurs.

The website owner and four passengers were detained for 16 hours. "Démission" means resignation.

Here is a translated excerpt from the "hollande-démission" site that got the website owner arrested:

"Enter the site Hollande-Resignation to view and / or sign the petition. Demand the resignation of François Hollande presidency!"

Costco has vowed to correct a store error after learning from Pastor Caleb Kaltenbach's tweet that they were selling Bibles with the fiction books. "The buyer let us know that this was an error and the books are being pulled off the shelves to be re-marked," Costco informed Fox.

Monday, November 25, 2013

British councillor sparks race row after claiming it would be 'awkward and uncomfortable' for white council staff to work with black colleagues

Every time minorities do something obnoxious, Leftists rush to assure us that it is just that they have a different culture. So it seems reasonable that different cultures might not mix well

A councillor has sparked a race row by claiming that white council officers would not be able to work with their black colleagues.

Jeffrey Tucker, who represents Rainham on Havering Council, said it would be like throwing an African football team and an English team together and expecting it to work.

He slammed proposals to combine the back office services of Havering and Newham councils in east London in a bid to save cash.

Mr Tucker said white staff would find it 'awkward and uncomfortable' to work with black workers.

The shopkeeper's incendiary comments were last night branded 'dangerous' and 'extraordinarily offensive' by a top London Assembly member.

Mr Tucker, who leads the Independent Residents' Group that includes Havering's only black councillor, also stuck the boot in to neighbouring Newham by labelling it 'filthy'.

The married dad said he's been losing sleep over the staff merger because he's so worried by it.

Mr Tucker, who's owned Rainham Goldmine jewellery shop for 23 years, said: 'I think it's a terrible idea. I can't see the two councils being able to work together. We've got 95 per cent white English workers in Havering Council and Newham Council is 95 per cent not white English.'

But Andrew Boff, London Assembly's Conservative group leader, said he was 'dumbstruck' by the attack.

Mr Boff, 55, said: 'There's an inference that people of African origin can't get on with people who are ethnically white. That's deeply offensive. I can't understand why, in 2013, this councillor seems to think that an attitude that separates people because of race is OK.'

Julianne Hough's Halloween costume is stirring up quite the controversy, and rubbing people the wrong way. The Safe Haven actress showed up to a Halloween party in Beverly Hills, Calif., dressed in blackface on Friday, Oct. 25.

Hough went all out for her costume, wearing orange prison attire, her hair in a knotted 'do and even had an I.D. with the name "Crazy Eyes" on it. The former Dancing With the Stars professional dancer looked to be with a group of six female friends dressed up as several of the other fictional inmates as well.

Hearing of the backlash, Hough quickly took to Twitter to respond the following day. "I am a huge fan of the show Orange is the New black, actress Uzo Aduba, and the character she has created," she wrote on Saturday, Oct. 26. "It certainly was never my intention to be disrespectful or demeaning to anyone in any way. I realize my costume hurt and offended people and I truly apologize."

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Obamaspeak about health insurance

The Obama administration once gave us “man-caused disasters” for acts of terrorism and “workplace violence” for the Fort Hood shootings. Now it has trumped those past linguistic contortions by changing words to mask the Obamacare disaster.

The president and his advisors apparently knew long ago that millions of the insured would face cancellations or premium hikes once Obamacare would be fully implemented. Yet to get the 906-page bill passed, they had to convince the public of the very opposite scenario. So they repeated ironclad guarantees that no one would lose their coverage or doctors – “period!”

Now the administration explains the deception by going after both the ethics of the insurers and the intelligence of the previously insured. That task required language to be altered. The newly canceled health plans are suddenly rebranded by the administration as “subpar.” Only in autumn 2013 is the supposedly unaware public told that, years ago, “bad apple” insurance companies sold them “substandard” plans.

According to Obama, millions of Americans were once ignorant or uninformed, and thus will soon be pleased about their cancellations: “So the majority of folks will end up being better off. Of course, because the website's not working right, they don't necessarily know it.”

By that logic, the legions of Obama supporters who desperately sought and won exemptions from Obamacare are not “better off” now, but those stuck with it will be?

The chains may be gone, but generations of blacks in South Carolina remain enslaved … trapped by a government-run education system that’s condemning them (and growing numbers of their lower and middle class white peers) to second class status.

According to the latest “Diplomas Count” graduation rate report, only 54.3 percent of black students graduate from high school in the Palmetto State – which is below the state total (61.5 percent), the national total (74.7 percent) and the national black total (61.7 percent)....

Just this week one of those “leaders” – the “Reverend” Joe Darby of the Charleston, S.C. NAACP – compared expanded parental choices to the “Jim Crow” segregation laws of the late nineteenth/ early twentieth centuries.

South Carolina’s government-run schools are spending nearly $12,000 per child on the worst public education system in America (one that’s sitting on $1 billion in cash reserves, by the way). That system is failing generations of blacks (and whites) – and it is past time state government did something about it.

Friday, November 22, 2013

Racist hate speech against "white suburban moms"?

Proving once again that any controversy will be intensified -- if not illuminated -- by random references to race, class, and gender, Education Secretary Arne Duncan has ignited a storm of protest by noting opposition from "white suburban moms" to one of his prized educational initiatives.

In a meeting with state education chiefs Friday, Duncan said some opposition to the Common Core State Standards -- a controversial effort to standardize education -- has come from parents displeased that test results have exposed local weaknesses. Duncan said he found it "fascinating" that opponents include "white suburban moms who -- all of a sudden -- (discovered that) their child isn't as bright as they thought they were, and their school isn't quite as good as they thought they were."

Duncan apologzied Monday afternoon for the remark.Speaking to CNN, Duncan said: "My wording, my phrasing, was a little clumsy and I apologize for that."

The son of an artist at the centre of a row over a school mural featuring a golliwog last night insisted his father was ‘no racist.’

But Henry Westwater said he could understand why the image, which sparked an on-going police investigation, was controversial – and would have no objection if it was replaced.

It was reported yesterday that a complaint about the 1930s painting - by RH Westwater - had been logged by Police Scotland as a ‘hate incident’.

Visiting parent Margaret Rocha, 43, who is herself black, made an official complaint after touring Wardie Primary School in north Edinburgh with her son who was at that time a prospective pupil.

The image is contained in a mural, based on Alice in Wonderland, which was lovingly restored two years ago and now takes pride of place in the school’s assembly hall.

Last night Henry Westwater, 74, of Tain, Inverness-shire, said golliwogs had once been common, though he could understand why the image had proved offensive.

But he suggested treating the situation as a ‘hate incident’ may be a flawed approach and said that while he would not want part of the mural to be ‘hacked out’, he could understand why some would want the golliwog image to be removed.

Mr Westwater said: ‘It was painted in 1936, when people’s perception of things was somewhat different.

‘I remember that I had a golliwog when I was a small boy; many children did. They used to be popular.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

You Don't Fight Intolerance With More Intolerance

In 1967, millions of American women of all races cheered when the queen of soul Aretha Franklin told the men of America what many female co-horts of her generation were looking for. The trait that Franklin and her outspoken feminists demanded from their boyfriends, husbands, fathers, uncles and all men in general was R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

While Ms.Franklin's song was designed to (and in fact did) inspire pride and confidence in many marginalized groups in America society at the time, today almost a half century later, another more radical, less inspirational, semi-Orwellian, hostile, dismissive movement has continued to plague our society. These are the people who have decided to engage in a "we do not like what you are saying, your politics and other positions, therefore we are going to do everything we can to prevent you from having a voice" policy. These people come from all walks of life and in various shapes and forms - tall, short, fat, thin, straight, gay, wealthy, poor, disabled, able bodied all races and ethnicities etc... Their goal is to denigrate, discredit, denounce and if possible, prohibit anything they find offensive or not to their satisfaction. There favorite word is I-N-T-O-L-E-R-A-N-C-E and it is their rallying cry.

One recent example of this sort of behavior took place recently at Brown University. Last month in mid October, Ray Kelly, New York City police commissioner was invited to speak at the ivy-league institution. Kelly is the creator of the city's (New York) controversial "stop and frisk" laws. A policy that many people of all races believe are racist due to their disproportionate targeting and profiling of young Black and Hispanic men. Mr., Kelly showed up and attempted to speak, but he was interrupted and faced such blatant acts of obstruction that he was unable to do so and the event was cancelled.

For the record, I want to make it clear that I, like many people, am troubled by such "stop and frisk" laws and oppose them on the grounds that they are indeed invasive, discriminatory, rob people of their civil liberties and are dehumanizing in general. That being said, I still believe that Kelly had every right to speak and present his argument without being verbally attacked and shouted down by intolerant dissenters who disagreed with his position. The fact is that the protestors who decided to censor Kelly demonstrated their intolerance as well. Their behavior was disgraceful.

There were many other positive approaches that these students could have taken that would have been far more effective in accomplishing their goals. The fact is that from a public relations standpoint, their strategy was a disaster. Such behavior made them look like a bunch of overgrown, unhinged, mentally unbalanced human beings with severe personality disorders. Moreover, to a degree, their actions possibly bolstered support for Kelly and his supporters. There was nothing gained by such a juvenile display of intolerance.

Must not mention that some people are critical of black/white marriages

I'm betting that the relatives of Nicole Brown Simpson are

If you were awake on Tuesday, you heard or read or divined something about what Richard Cohen wrote on Monday.Cohen writes a weekly political column for the estimable Washington Post, WaPo to the in crowd. And on Monday he said this:

"People with conventional views must repress a gag reflex when considering the mayor-elect of New York – a white man married to a black woman and with two biracial children. (Should I mention that Bill de Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray, used to be a lesbian?)"

That caused the pundits, bloggers, tweeters – and columnists – to hit their keyboards with a fervor not seen since Miley Cyrus got cheeky with Robin Thicke. Even fellow WaPo columnist Ezra Klein, jumped in to critique his colleague’s piece.

The tweets were merciless. Reuters columnist Jack Schafer tweeted that, “Cohen just wrote his resignation letter.” Syndicated advice columnist Margot Howard tweeted, “Richard Cohen AND his editor should be let go. Cohen only has 2 options: to plead dementia or that he was drunk.” And from Matt O’Brien, senior associate editor at The Atlantic, “Who doesn’t have to repress a gag reflex when they read Richard Cohen?”

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Golliwogs ARE modelled on blacks but they are lovable cuddly toys. One would think that blacks could do with a bit more of the lovable and cuddly image

Amazon has come under fire for selling a fancy dress costume of a golliwog.

The online shopping giant has not removed the outfit from sale despite receiving a flood of complaints from furious customers. Many commenters have denounced the costume as 'racist' because of its links with outdated stereotypes about black people.

The outfit is advertised as an 'Adult Golly Fancy Dress Costume' and is on sale for £39.99.

It is being listed on Amazon by Orion Costumes, an independent company which also sells 'sexy' outfits such as a schoolgirl costume.

The golly kit includes a mask and wig as well as striped trousers, a tailcoat and an oversized bow tie.

The official product description reads: 'Our amazing Golly Costume is a fantastic recreation of the popular rag doll character and is ideal if you are looking for a memorable outfit!'

A number of angry browsers have left one-star reviews on the Amazon website, calling for the outfit to be removed from sale.

Michelle Coke wrote: 'This should not be an item for sale and should be removed immediately. This is offensive and show lack of sensitivity on the part of Amazon.'

Christian 'love guru' who tells women they must know 'how to shut up' if they want to be dateable sparks outrage

A so-called Christian 'love guru' who tours the country telling teens that women must 'know how to shut up' if they want to get a date and men must 'fight battles' and keep girls 'covered up' has sparked outrage at a Texas high school.

Justin Lookadoo, a bleach-blonde former juvenile probation officer, claims to have given motivational talks at some 4,000 public schools throughout the South and Midwest, preaching in his heavy Texas drawl 'all the juicy secrets' to help students pick up.

But students at Richardson High School in Dallas walked out of his speech Wednesday and others confronted him afterwards, asking questions like: 'Why did you tell girls to get out of abusive relationships instead of telling guys not to be abusive in the first place?'

Others later tweeted their disgust at his misogynistic comments, using the hashtag #lookadouche.

'Honestly the speaker we had today, Justin Lookadoo, disgusted me with his out of line jokes about women,' Anah Delgado tweeted.

Lookadoo offers a snippet of his 'Dateable' program on YouTube in which he declares 'Dateable girls know how to shut up. They don't monopolize the conversation. Let him lead. God made guys as leaders.'

He's right, of course. No-one wants to listen to an unending stream of self-obsession. Both men and women should learn to listen as much as they speak but women do seem to be the big talkers in general. As Solomon said: "Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding." (Prov. 17:28).

Monday, November 18, 2013

Prosecutor Asks That She Not Be Called 'the Government' Because the Term Is 'Derogatory'

Last month a Tennessee judge overseeing a burglary case rejected a pretrial motion in which the prosecution requested that it not be referred to as "the Government" because that term is "derogatory."

In the May 22 motion, Assistant District Attorney General Tammy J. Rettig noted with alarm that "it has become commonplace during trials for attorneys for defendants, and especially Mr. [Drew] Justice [the defendant's lawyer], to refer to State's attorneys as 'the Government' repeatedly during trial."

Rettig worried that "such a reference is used in a derogatory way and is meant to make the State's attorneys seem oppressive and to inflame the jury."

She added that "attempts to make the jury dislike the State's attorney have no place in the courtroom." She therefore urged Williamson County Circuit Court Judge Michael Binkley to bar Justice from using the g-word during the trial and instead refer to her as "General Rettig, the Assistant District Attorney General, Mrs. Rettig, or simply the State of Tennessee."

THE Dutch equivalent of Santa Claus arrived in the Netherlands on Saturday to the delight of thousands of children.

But some adults protested vigorously against one element of the beloved tradition they find racist: his servant in blackface make-up, Black Pete.

In the annual Dutch Sinterklaas festival, St Nicholas arrives by steamboat in mid-November and spends a month in the country with dozens of the Petes - clown-like figures who leave cookies, chocolate and other treats for children. The affair ends in a night of gift-giving on December 5.

But in a country where 90 per cent of the people have European ancestry, a large majority feels there is no racial insult intended by Black Pete. They say he's a positive figure of fun and the dissent is a sign of political correctness gone overboard.

The debate over the figure has gone on for years, but it is now electrifying - and polarising - the Netherlands as never before.

"The world is watching, and the Netherlands has been found wanting," anti-Pete protester Quinsy Gario told a group of about 300 supporters in Amsterdam, most of whom were black.

Baldwin contritely announced his own suspension in a statement on the MSNBC web site.

"I did not intend to hurt or offend anyone with my choice of words, but clearly I have – and for that I am deeply sorry," he wrote. "I understand "Up Late" will be taken off the schedule for tonight and next week.

"I want to apologize to my loyal fans and to my colleagues at MSNBC – both for my actions and for distracting from their good work. Again, please accept my apology."

The announcement came hours after the former "30 Rock'' star trotted out a gay friend to defend him.

A policeman has been barred from using a neighbourhood Facebook account after he joked that a teen suspect may enjoy being ‘touched’ by officers.

The status, posted by Pc Tom Leyden on the Irlam and Cadishead police page, was taken down after users complained that it was inappropriate.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed it had removed the post and had suspended Pc Leyden from using the neighbourhood social media accounts.

But now fans of the officer’s posts have set up their own campaign page calling for the ban to be lifted.

Pc Leyden’s offending post described how officers were called out to a street in Irlam after a 15-year-old was spotted holding a carving knife.

It goes on to describe how a boy fitting the description took exception to being stopped and searched.

It read: 'Funnily enough, the same boy is always being stopped and searched. 'I’m not a suspicious person but I think that, either the lad enjoys being touched by Police Officers, which would make him very strange, or he’s what we call in Scotland, a numpty (It is a recognised word in Scotland and my granny used to call me it, so it can’t be offensive.)'

The post has since been removed and it was replaced with an apology which reads: 'We posted over the weekend and this clearly caused some concerns.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Both university students and sporting clubs have a tradition of singing raucous songs with indelicate wording. It's just normal hijinks that has never been shown to do harm. I sang "reworded" songs myself in my student days.

Doing it on a crowded bus was however inconsiderate and some retribution for that would be reasonable

A shocking video of university students singing sexist songs on a packed public bus has gone viral.

The mobile phone footage shows male members of the University of Stirling’s hockey club drinking beer and shouting derogatory sexual and racist chants while other passengers look on.

The students from the university in Scotland are filmed laughing at a joke about miscarriages and at one point even appeared to make mock Nazi salutes after a joke with a German-related punchline.

The video - filmed last Wednesday as students took the 63 bus from the university into Stirling town centre - has been viewed around 35,000 times on YouTube after being posted on Monday.

Women on board were clearly uncomfortable about the antics of the team - who were singing the traditional drinking song I Used to Work in Chicago - and one said: ‘This is quite scary.’

The students involved are now facing the prospect of disciplinary action from university bosses.

Sean Betteridge, a student who was also on the bus, told the university's student newspaper Brig that he was embarrassed by the behaviour of the hockey players.

He said: ‘I felt generally angry. There's little you can do when there's a big group of people chanting like that on a bus. Any kind of challenge just fuels it. I was happy when I noticed it being filmed though, if you're going to spout this offensive nonsense in public then you have to expect to be held accountable.

A common complaint among minorities, in Ireland and around Europe, is that discrimination is hard to spot. People from minority groups complain they no longer face a slammed door but a revolving one.

Individuals and families spend time analysing cryptic remarks for evidence of something sinister, leaving them feeling uncertain whether they should be offended. Roma are yet to reach even this difficult stage.

Anti-Roma racism is everywhere and is unmistakable. Among other things, it takes the form of a cacophony of slurs and bullying, punctuated by regular attacks from high-level politicians.

One of the most recent cases saw a French politician say, “maybe Hitler didn’t kill enough” of them. There are countless other examples.

This barrage of anti-Roma insult is more common elsewhere in Europe than in Ireland, but the increasingly hateful rhetoric in mainstream political life has the potential to affect all of Europe, even countries that consider themselves tolerant.

At the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) we monitor hate speech against Roma and are committed to forcing the authorities to combat it. We have only begun to litigate the issue, and it poses enormous challenges

The "hate speech" concerned is mostly accurate complaints about what Roma (Gypsies) do. They rarely work and live off minor crime -- pickpocketing etc. They are an incredible nuisance wherever they congregate

Thursday, November 14, 2013

You can be an immigrant while not legally permitted to be one but you are not an illegal immigrant?

The UC Berkeley student government has banned the term “illegal immigrant” from its discourse, deeming the phrase racist, offensive, unfair and derogatory.

In an unanimous vote, student senators passed a resolution that stated the word “illegal” is “racially charged,” “dehumanizes” people, and contributes to “punitive and discriminatory actions aimed primarily at immigrants and communities of color.”

The “resolution in support of drop the I-word campaign” was approved 18 to 0 with one abstention on Oct. 30, according to a copy of the meeting’s minutes obtained by The College Fix.

Its approval marks at least the second time this semester that a public university’s student government has voted to eradicate the phrase. UCLA passed a nearly identical measure in late August.

There are an estimated 900 students in the country illegally who are currently enrolled in the 10-campus, University of California system, according to UC officials. These students live in “fear” because former Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano is now president of the UC system, according to the resolution, which aims to “create a safe campus environment for all students.”

“The ‘I’ word is legally inaccurate since being out of status is a civil rather than criminal infraction,” states the resolution, which notes some journalists have stopped using the term.

“No human being is illegal,” the resolution continues. “ ‘Foreign nationals,’ ‘undocumented immigrants,’ ‘immigrants without papers’ and ‘immigrants seeking status’ are examples of terms we can use that do not dehumanize people.”

Jill Stanek whipped out a dictionary to argue about whether or not Holocaust references are appropriate when talking about abortion, after anti-choice celebrities Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar did just that.

Consider this phrase again from Jim Bob’s speech at this year’s Values Voter Summit that Stanek is defending, as he relayed an anecdote about a visit to a concentration camp: “That’s where we’re at in our nation.”

"It shouldn’t have to be said, but the Holocaust was not a natural disaster; it was a premeditated war crime. The people who carried out this world-traumatizing genocide were known as Nazis, and they were justly tried at the behest of the world community at Nuremberg for crimes against humanity".

In sum, I think Jill Stanek just called me a Nazi. And she called you one, too, if you believe a pregnant person has the right to decide the outcome of her pregnancy, or if you are among the roughly one in three women who has exercised her constitutionally protected right to have an abortion. If she means what she says, we’re all deserving of a Nuremberg trial.

This is the kind of extremism we’re dealing with: people who think they’re living in a nation packed to the gills with modern-day Nazis and their supporters.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Must not use Hitler in advertisements

An Italian labor union has been slammed by Jewish groups for offering a spoof 'Hitler Prize' to people who work with animals, who have been targeted by extremists.

Feder Fauna, a union for people working commercially with animals such as breeders and farmers, named the prize because the Nazi leader created a law to protect animals while ordering human experiments.

The union has called on its members to nominate those they considered 'most worthy' of receiving the award such as those who have suffered violence from animal rights activists.

Massimiliano Filippi, general secretary of Feder Fauna, said: 'The Hitler Prize represents a condemnation of those who trample on human rights in the name of the ideology of "animal rights"!

'I find that asking to stop experiments on rats and proposing instead experiments be done on prisoners has a close affinity to Nazism.'

However despite having an anti-Nazi message, the prize has been condemned for diminishing the suffering of those who died in the holocaust and because it could be seen to show Hitler in a positive light.

Conan O’Brien uses his influential Twitter account almost exclusively to share jokes on the latest news with his more than 9 million followers that may or may not end up in his late night monologue. Inevitably, some of these jokes rub his followers (and the rest of Twitter) the wrong way.

Friday evening, O’Brien posted a joke about Marvel’s new Muslim female superhero that has caused a major backlash and brought out accusations of racism against the comedian.

The tweet received a barrage of angry responses from people who not only pointed out to O’Brien that his comment was prejudiced towards Muslims but also that the character being introduced by Marvel is a teenage girl from Jersey City, not a housewife from Saudi Arabia. In other words, there’s more than one type of Muslim woman.

Hot on the heels of the Washington Redskins name controversy, an Arab-American advocacy group wants a California high school to abandon its decades-old sports mascot and associated imagery on the grounds it offensively stereotypes Arabs.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is unhappy with the Coachella Valley High School’s “Arab” mascot – the name, the logo, half-time shows that feature an “Arab” figure and a belly dancer, as well as Arabian Nights-styled wall murals including one depicting an Arab man and woman using a book as a flying carpet.

“ADC is appalled at the use of a caricature depicted to be an ‘Arab’ as the official mascot of the high school,” ADC legal and policy director Abed Ayoub wrote in a Nov. 4 letter to Coachella Valley Unified School District superintendent Darryl Adams.

He observed that the mascot logo “depicts a man with a large nose, heavy beard, and wearing a kaffiay [keffiyeh], or traditional Arab head covering.”

“ADC understands the context in which the nickname was initially selected,” Ayoub wrote – apparently a reference to the valley’s history as a prime date-growing region, dating back to the early years of the 20th century.

“However, in the 21st century, such justifications for these actions are no longer tolerable.”

Monday, November 11, 2013

British government displeased when TV presenter calls PM a 'complete idiot' over plans for World War One centenary

Downing Street is demanding a ‘full and public apology’ from the BBC’s Jeremy Paxman for calling the Prime Minister a ‘complete idiot’ over his plans for the First World War centenary.

The extraordinary public spat has erupted after the Newsnight presenter claimed Mr Cameron had likened the commemorations to last year’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Mr Paxman incensed No10 when he told BBC chat show host Graham Norton last week he was ‘troubled’ by Mr Cameron ‘talking about how millions of pounds were going to be spent marking this anniversary’ and the fact that he had ‘compared it with the celebrations for the Diamond Jubilee’.

Mr Paxman said: ‘Therefore people get the idea that somehow this is going to be celebrated. Well, only a complete idiot would celebrate such a calamity.

'Three quarters of a million men never came back to this country. 'Millions of men served. Millions of men were wounded mentally and physically. No one would celebrate that. It was just Cameron’s clumsy use of language.’

I think Paxman was right. It was a clumsy use of language. And for a government to be calling for a retraction of a criticism is thoroughly anti-democratic. Of all people, politicians have to be able to take criticism

Wildlife presenter censured by the BBC for tweeting that those behind government's badger cull were 'brutalist thugs, liars and frauds'

Such an extreme rant borders on libel so the Beeb were right to pull him into line. The badger cull is designed to reduce tubercular disease in cattle. Badgers are carriers. Animal lovers can become quite irrational

Wildlife presenter Chris Packham was reprimanded by the BBC for tweeting his views on the culling of badgers.

Mr Packham branded government officials 'brutalist thugs, liars and frauds' in a series of tweets.

He posted the tweets at the end of August on the eve of a cull to stop the spread of bovine tuberculosis.

Another one of the tweets read: 'I feel sick, sad disempowered, betrayed, angry and crushed by the corruption of all that I know is right.'

BBC bosses launched an investigation into the tweets following a complaint by the Countryside Alliance which claimed they went against BBC impartiality rules.

It found that Mr Packham breached a BBC voluntary code of conduct as the tweets were not politically neutral.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Josh Barry, of Camp Hill, Penn., wants to know why the president of the local teacher’s union thinks he’s a neo-Nazi after he complained about a classroom assignment that he believed to be biased.

“I’m Jewish and my wife is half-black, half-white,” Barry told me in a telephone interview. “I am the furthest thing from a neo-Nazi.”

Last week, his daughter’s eighth grade American History class at East Pennsboro Middle School was asked to analyze a New York Times story about the recent government shutdown.

Barry, who said he is a registered independent, read the story and then read a list of questions his daughter was required to answer and he immediately determined the assignment was “grossly slanted.”

The worksheet included questions like “To what issue do House Republican leaders insist on tying the federal budget?” and “Whom do you hold most responsible for the government shutdown?”

Barry fired off letters complaining about the assignment to his daughter’s teacher as well as the school board. But a few days later, he was shocked to discover that the head of the local teacher’s union was making calls around town – asking if he was a neo-Nazi.

Barry also reached out to the principal, who defended the teacher’s assignment and allegedly told him The New York Times story was not slanted.

On Friday the story took a bizarre turn. A friend of Barry’s received a telephone call that he says came from Cydnee Cohen, the president of the East Pennsboro Education Association. Barry’s friend was a mutual friend of Cohen’s.

“We’re having some problems with a parent in our school district,”Cohen allegedly told Barry’s friend. “I would like to know -- some of it seems like he’s a neo-Nazi.”

Barry accused the union president of “embarking on a campaign to dig up dirt on me and to make me look like a neo-Nazi.”

A petition calling for President Obama to investigate ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” over a recent politically incorrect segment has garnered 100,000 signatures, earning an official response from the White House.

The segment aired on October 16th, and involved host Jimmy Kimmel interviewing kids about important public policy questions for a skit called “Kids Table.” When Kimmel asked what the government should do about the substantial debt the U.S. owes to China, a six-year-old boy named Braxton responded, “Kill everyone in China.”

Later, Kimmel humorously polled the group of six year olds on the question of whether the U.S. should allow the Chinese to live. The kids then debated whether China would retaliate against the U.S. for killing everyone in the country, prompting Kimmel to declare this “Kids Table: The Lord of the Flies Edition.”

An anonymous petitioner did not find the segment funny, and penned a petition on the Whitehouse.gov site asking the government to investigate Kimmel’s show.

Friday, November 08, 2013

The Case for Hate Speech

Ender’s Game comes out November 1. If you live in a cave, you may not be aware that this likely blockbuster is based on a classic 1985 sci-fi novel by Orson Scott Card. The movie version features Harrison Ford, copious digital effects, and a boycott.

Recently, a group of gay activists launched a Web site urging anyone who cares about same-sex marriage or gay equality to stay out of theaters. “By pledging to Skip Ender’s Game,” the group said, “we can send a clear and serious message to Card and those that do business with his brand of anti-gay activism—whatever he’s selling, we’re not buying.”

I have been advocating gay marriage and gay equality for more than 20 years, fighting many of the same stereotypes and slurs that have figured in Orson Scott Card’s nonfiction writing. So I understand why some equality advocates want to make a statement against Card. What I would like them to understand is why I hope they fail. In a roundabout but important way, bigoted ideas and hateful speech play an essential part in advancing minority rights. Even if we have every right to boycott Ender’s Game, gays are better served by answering people like Card than by trying to squelch or punish them.

Mom who allowed her seven-year old son to dress up like a KKK member for Halloween faces angry backlash

Sometimes, mother really doesn't know best. The mom of a seven-year old boy from Virginia dressed him up for Halloween night in a Ku Klux Klan costume.

Jessica Black, from Craigsville, says her little boy, Jackson who is seven actually asked if he could also dress as a member of the white supremacist group, so she decided to make him the costume.

Ms Black says it's a 'family tradition'.

'My brother dressed up as a member of the KKK when he was in Kindergarten and when he was 13,' said Ms Black.

A reporter from WHSV asked the little Jackson why he decided to wear the controversial costume but it was clear from his answer that he did not know the historical signifiance of the outfit or how offensive the clothing can be.

His mother didn't appear to know any better, justifying her actions by pointing the blame squarely in her sons' direction.

Thursday, November 07, 2013

Coffee chain Caffe Nero is to remove a poster from its branches that shows three men leering at a woman’s behind after customers complained it was sexist.

The large illustration depicts two of the men lifting their sunglasses to peer at the backside of a lone woman as she walks by.

Bosses at Caffe Nero – Britain’s third largest coffee-house chain with 500 cafes – say the image was supposed to ‘portray Italian culture’. But they now concede it may cause offence, and say it will be removed from all stores as soon as possible.

Teacher Laura Palmer, 32, was visiting Caffe Nero in Ashford, Kent, with a group of new mothers when she spotted the print. She said: ‘I think it’s a really inappropriate image, which in my view promotes sexual discrimination and the sexualisation of women. It has undertones which are almost creepy – three guys standing by the side of the road in a pack with their eyes obviously drawn to the woman’s behind.

The University of Birmingham guild of students has banned a number of fancy dress costumes as part of a crack down on what it claims is “discriminatory behaviour”.

The decision has left students threatening to boycott the guild after many were turned away for dressing as Mexicans or fictional characters or told to change their costumes.

There was also anger after a promotional video of Dave Charles, vice president for housing and community on the guild, emerged of him wearing a sombrero – believed to be filmed before the ban was announced.

Carl Raynsford, 21, a basketball player at the university said he and his team mates were told they would not be allowed to go to a Halloween event dressed as Mexicans.

"We were dressed as Mexicans which involved only a sombrero and a poncho and potentially a drawn on tache,” he told the Tab student newspaper

"I'm not sure why it's deemed racist nor why the 'anti-fascism officer' needs any involvement. "Would I be offended if someone came as an Englishman?"

Other students have also been turned away from events.

Jonathan Blausten, 21, was not allowed into a nightclub when he dressed as fictional character Admiral General Aladeen from the film The Dictator.

He said: "I'm still waiting to hear who I was offending, going as a character from a fictional country in a movie which parodies almost every country on earth with no particular bias.

He is accused of defamation after stating that: 'Nobody wants to see curvy women on the runway.'

And he didn't stop there, blaming France's public health deficit on 'fat people' and their illnesses.

Lagerfeld appeared on the French chat show Le Grand 8 and claimed 'the hole in social security' was all down to 'diseases caught by people who are too fat'. He also made his comment about curvy women on the catwalk

The Belle, Ronde, Sexy et je m'assume group has filed a complaint with the court in Saintes, near Bordeau, as reported in the Sunday Times.

The First Amendment Even Protects Speech That Offends Pot Prohibitionists

Next week voters in Portland, Maine, will decide whether to repeal local penalties for possession of up to two and a half ounces of marijuana by adults 21 or older. The ballot initiative, Question 1, will not affect state law, which treats possession of amounts below that cutoff as a civil violation punishable by fines ranging from $350 to $1,000, although local legalization might influence the enforcement priorities of Portland police.

While the practical impact of Question 1 may be minor, the campaign's messaging, if successful, is apt to influence efforts to fully legalize marijuana in Maine and other states. The campaign's ads, which are displayed on the sides of buses and bus shelters in Portland's transit system, feature harmless-looking marijuana consumers who explain why they prefer pot to alcohol. "I prefer marijuana over alcohol because it is less harmful to my body," says one. "Why should I be punished for making the safer choice?" The ad urges people to "vote yes on Question 1" and includes the address for a Marijuana Policy Project website that compares cannabis to alcohol.

According to McClatchy DC, this message, which is a variation on the approach that seems to have worked in Colorado, really bugs anti-pot activists, who say it should not be allowed:

"Opponents say the ads go well beyond endorsing a ballot measure, instead promoting an illegal product. They say the ads shouldn't be allowed in places where they're so easily viewed by youths, including high school students who ride city buses to school."

An anti-drug group called 21 Reasons has asked the Greater Portland Transit District to take down the ads. "What we say and what we do is being watched by the kids in our communities," Jo Morrissey, a spokeswoman for the group, tells McClatchy, "and they look to us for clues on what’s acceptable and what’s normal and how they should act."

Unlike Jo Morrissey, the Greater Portland Transit District has heard of the First Amendment. The sides of Portland's buses are what the Supreme Court calls a "designated public forum," and restricting that forum to speech that Morrissey and Sabet like would be clearly unconstitutional.

"We're allowing this message because it's political speech," explains Gregory Jordan, the transit agency's general manger. "It's designed to help change a law....We don't have a position on the content of the advertising, just that it's a political message and by its very nature it's protected by the First Amendment."

Monday, November 04, 2013

Australian Aborigines don't like homosexuals much either

Anthony Mundine identifies as an Australian Aborigine so he is perfectly correct about his ancestors

This time, the boxer, former rugby league star and Islam convert caused a social media storm after angering the homosexual community and the Indigenous production company responsible for the ABC series, Redfern Now.

During Thursday night's season two opener, Mundine posted a comment on Facebook revolving around the show's gay Indigenous character, who was fighting for custody of his daughter following his partner's death.

"Watching redfern now & they promoting homosexuality! (Like it's ok in our culture) that ain't in our culture & our ancestors would have there head for it! Like my dad told me GOD made ADAM & EVE not Adam & Steve," he wrote.

The article below does not tell the full story. The U.S.N. Jack has been a blue flag with stars on it for most of the past. The ‘don’t tread on me’ flag was revived only in 2002, under the Bush administration. Men who fought under the 2002+ flag would however most likely be attached to it and regret its going

The Navy Jack is the ‘don’t tread on me’ flag, one that has earned a revered place in America’s naval history and a beloved place in sailor’s hearts, through its use for over two centuries. This symbol of America’s naval ferocity has spanned our country’s entire existence, flying from the masts of the Continental Navy during the war of independence, to today’s War on Terror. In fact, an amendment to the Navy code called SECNAV Instruction 10520.6 clearly states that as of 31 May 2002 all ships are to fly the flag throughout the duration of the War on Terror.

So why would ranking SEAL commanders ban the historical symbol? Is the proverbial top bass banning the flag? Is President Obama?

Clearly the administration and sycophant “top brass” officers have degraded America’s military prestige; from hand-tying rules of engagement, to uniform regulations that make our military allegedly more compatible with foreign forces, to the banning of an awe-inspiring flag that traces its roots to the first U.S. Navy. We have a civilian-led military, but why should our ranking commanders be complicit in the administration’s war on it? Why don’t they stand up to Obama and his leftist cronies?

Greeting card giant Hallmark said Thursday that it shouldn't have changed the lyrics to "Deck the Halls" on a new holiday ornament that stirred a backlash from customers online.

The Kansas City, Mo.-based company has been defending itself after it began selling a miniaturized version of a tacky holiday sweater that changes the lyrics to the holiday carol. The ornament removes the word "gay" and emblazons the sweater with the phrase: "Don we now our FUN apparel!"

Critics took to Twitter and Hallmark's Facebook page, accusing the company of making a political statement by using the word "fun" to replace "gay." Some Facebook commenters said they would never again buy Hallmark merchandise and that the change amounted to the company rewriting Christmas classics in the name of political correctness. Others suggested removing the word "gay" demonstrated a homophobic bias.

The company initially responded by saying the multiple meanings attached to the word "gay" meant the sweater's lyrics would be "open to misinterpretation."

"The trend of wearing festively decorated Christmas sweaters to parties is all about fun, and this ornament is intended to play into that, so the planning team decided to say what we meant: 'fun.' That's the spirit we intended and the spirit in which we hope ornament buyers will take it."

The company updated its statement Thursday, saying it was surprised by the public's response and that it now realized it shouldn't have changed the lyrics.

Friday, November 01, 2013

Must not use Asian English

KXL executives took down their two-story tall ad at Northwest 2nd Avenue and Couch Street in Portland this week after complaints that the sign – advertising the station with the phrase “We love you long time” – was insensitive and offensive to Asian Americans. The billboard was in the city’s historic Old Town/Chinatown neighborhood.

Station marketers were playing off the 2 Live Crew hit, “Me So Horny,” decried by some as obscene back when it topped the rap charts in 1989 but now a frequent pop culture reference in movies and music.

The lyric references a scene in the 1987 Stanley Kubrick war movie “Full Metal Jacket”: It’s the language a Vietnamese prostitute uses to offer her services to two U.S. soldiers.

This Halloween season there is an offensive offensive, with groups pushing retailers to stop selling costumes that they consider racist, insensitive, inappropriate, or unnecessary.

Earlier this week, Pottery Barn decided to stop selling kids’ Halloween costumes that Asian American civil rights groups deemed as offensive. One of the costumes featured a kimono, while the other was a sushi chef, complete with a fake knife and a prominent Japanese flag. The outfits weren’t caricatures or cartoon-like, and to some extent may even have been glorifying these characters. But the fact that they were presented as characters to have fun with was enough for some to be offended.

“Our problem is not with the attire itself; it is with the fact that Pottery Barn is marketing these outfits as costumes,” wrote Ling Woo Liu, director of strategic communications for Asian Americans Advancing Justice, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Is the American national anthem politically incorrect? From the 4th verse:Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."

Mohammad

The truth can be offensive to some but it must be said

"HATE SPEECH" is free speech: The U.S. Supreme Court stated the general rule regarding protected speech in Texas v. Johnson (109 S.Ct. at 2544), when it held: "The government may not prohibit the verbal or nonverbal expression of an idea merely because society finds the idea offensive or disagreeable." Federal courts have consistently followed this. Said Virginia federal district judge Claude Hilton: "The First Amendment does not recognize exceptions for bigotry, racism, and religious intolerance or ideas or matters some may deem trivial, vulgar or profane."

Even some advocacy of violence is protected by the 1st Amendment. In Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969), the U.S. Supreme Court held unanimously that speech advocating violent illegal actions to bring about social change is protected by the First Amendment "except where such advocacy is directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action and is likely to incite or produce such action."

The double standard: Atheists can put up signs and billboards saying that Christianity is wrong and that is hunky dory. But if a Christian says that homosexuality is wrong, that is attacked as "hate speech"

One for the militant atheists to consider: "...it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg" -- Thomas Jefferson

"I think no subject should be off-limits, and I regard the laws in many Continental countries criminalizing Holocaust denial as philosophically repugnant and practically useless – in that they confirm to Jew-haters that the Jews control everything (otherwise why aren’t we allowed to talk about it?)" -- Mark Steyn

Voltaire's most famous saying was actually a summary of Voltaire's thinking by one of his biographers rather than something Voltaire said himself. Nonetheless it is a wholly admirable sentiment: "I disagree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it". I am of a similar mind.

The traditional advice about derogatory speech: "Sticks and stones will break your bones but names will never hurt you". Apparently people today are not as emotionally robust as their ancestors were.

Why conservatives should not respond to Leftist abuse: "Never wrestle with a pig, because you'll both just get dirty, and the pig likes it.”

The KKK were members of the DEMOCRATIC party. Google "Klanbake" if you doubt it

A phobia is an irrational fear, so the terms "Islamophobic" and "homophobic" embody a claim that the people so described are mentally ill. There is no evidence for either claim. Both terms are simply abuse masquerading as diagnoses and suggest that the person using them is engaged in propaganda rather than in any form of rational or objective discourse.

Leftists often pretend that any mention of race is "racist" -- unless they mention it, of course. But leaving such irrational propaganda aside, which statements really are racist? Can statements of fact about race be "racist"? Such statements are simply either true or false. The most sweeping possible definition of racism is that a racist statement is a statement that includes a negative value judgment of some race. Absent that, a statement is not racist, for all that Leftists might howl that it is. Facts cannot be racist so nor is the simple statement of them racist. Here is a statement that cannot therefore be racist by itself, though it could be false: "Blacks are on average much less intelligent than whites". If it is false and someone utters it, he could simply be mistaken or misinformed.

Categorization is a basic human survival skill so racism as the Left define it (i.e. any awareness of race) is in fact neither right nor wrong. It is simply human

Whatever your definition of racism, however, a statement that simply mentions race is not thereby racist -- though one would think otherwise from American Presidential election campaigns. Is a statement that mentions dogs, "doggist" or a statement that mentions cats, "cattist"?

If any mention of racial differences is racist then all Leftists are racist too -- as "affirmative action" is an explicit reference to racial differences

Was Abraham Lincoln a racist? "You and we are different races. We have between us a broader difference than exists between almost any other two races. Whether it is right or wrong I need not discuss, but this physical difference is a great disadvantage to us both, as I think your race suffer very greatly, many of them by living among us, while ours suffer from your presence. In a word, we suffer on each side. If this be admitted, it affords a reason at least why we should be separated. It is better for both, therefore, to be separated." -- Spoken at the White House to a group of black community leaders, August 14th, 1862

Gimlet-eyed Leftist haters sometimes pounce on the word "white" as racist. Will the time come when we have to refer to the White House as the "Full spectrum of light" House?

The spirit of liberty is "the spirit which is not too sure that it is right." and "Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can even do much to help it. While it lies there it needs no constitution, no law, no court to save it." -- Judge Learned Hand

Mostly, a gaffe is just truth slipping out

Two lines below of a famous hymn that would be incomprehensible to Leftists today ("honor"? "right"? "freedom?" Freedom to agree with them is the only freedom they believe in)

First to fight for right and freedom,
And to keep our honor clean

It is of course the hymn of the USMC -- still today the relentless warriors that they always were.

It seems a pity that the wisdom of the ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus is now little known. Remember, wrote the Stoic thinker, "that foul words or blows in themselves are no outrage, but your judgment that they are so. So when any one makes you angry, know that it is your own thought that has angered you. Wherefore make it your endeavour not to let your impressions carry you away."

"Since therefore the knowledge and survey of vice is in this world so necessary to the constituting of human virtue, and the scanning of error to the confirmation of truth, how can we more safely, and with less danger, scout into the regions of sin and falsity than by reading all manner of tractates, and hearing all manner of reason?" -- English poet John Milton (1608-1674) in Areopagitica

Leftists can try to get you fired from your job over something that you said and that's not an attack on free speech. But if you just criticize something that they say, then that IS an attack on free speech

The intellectual Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) could have been speaking of much that goes on today when he said: "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."

I despair of the ADL. Jews have enough problems already and yet in the ADL one has a prominent Jewish organization that does its best to make itself offensive to Christians. Their Leftism is more important to them than the welfare of Jewry -- which is the exact opposite of what they ostensibly stand for! Jewish cleverness seems to vanish when politics are involved. Fortunately, Christians are true to their saviour and have loving hearts. Jewish dissatisfaction with the myopia of the ADL is outlined here. Note that Foxy was too grand to reply to it.

There are also two blogspot blogs which record what I think are my main recent articles here and here. Similar content can be more conveniently accessed via my subject-indexed list of short articles here or here (I rarely write long articles these days)

NOTE: The archives provided by blogspot below are rather inconvenient. They break each month up into small bits. If you want to scan whole months at a time, the backup archives will suit better. See here or here